Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

High Hep C Prices Force States To Choose Between Treating Inmates And Salvaging Budgets

Only those who are the sickest are given the treatment, in most places. Meanwhile, Illinois will begin providing the pricey drugs to more Medicaid beneficiaries.

The Wall Street Journal:
High Cost Of New Hepatitis C Drugs Strains Prison Budgets, Locks Many Out Of Cure
David Maldonado, an inmate at a Pennsylvania state prison, is one of thousands of convicted criminals with hepatitis C, an infectious disease that is one of the country’s biggest killers. Powerful new drugs on the market could help Mr. Maldonado and cut the chances of it spreading outside prison walls. The medicines, however, are so expensive, and the problem so widespread, that to treat all sufferers would blow up most prison budgets. List prices for the newer drugs range from $54,000 to $94,000 a person for a typical 12-week course. (Loftus and Fields, 9/12)

Chicago Tribune:
State Switches Stance On Hepatitis C Drugs, Expands Access, But Not All Medicaid Patients Qualify
The state of Illinois has backed off a 2-year-old policy that allowed only its sickest residents with hepatitis C who rely on the traditional Medicaid program to get disease-curing drugs. The policy change, announced Friday evening, means Illinois residents on Medicaid with stage 3 liver scarring — not just the sickest patients with stage 4 liver scarring — will be able to access the drugs. If left untreated, hepatitis C can lead to liver failure, cancer and even death. (Schencker, 9/12)

And Stat looks at the breakthrough that led to the possibility of a cure in the first place —

Stat:
The Lab Breakthrough That Paved The Way For Hepatitis C Cures
In just the last few years, new medications have turned hepatitis C into a widely and quickly curable disease — for those who can afford it. But the lesser-known origins of the story trace back to a 1990s laboratory invention that made it all possible. Now, two virologists who pioneered that pivotal development, and a drug researcher who created the first revolutionary drug, are being honored with one of the most prestigious awards in medical science. (Robbins, 9/13)

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